The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-06-01
A VETERAN CROOK.
he Relates a Couple Of Professional Trans
actions.
a COnfidence Job That Cost an indianapolis
Bank Over S12, OO0-The Bank
Kept Quiet.
New York sun.l

was talklnR Win an old-Ome CROOK the
other day about matters in general, and
after he had warmed up TO the subject he
said:
mo, times are not what they used to be,
and the profession of crook will soon be
thing of the past. Banks, Offices and
other moneyed places are so well guarded,
and so many people are on to every
game and racket, that there are no
longer any gentlemen crooks A man
OF the business. Like some others, 1 have
handled great deal of money which did
not legally belong to me, and In my palmy
days / was in some of the slickest work
ever done by bad men. l never trained
with plugs. What l couldn't get without
robbiDg churches, frightening women or
using the bludgeon behind mans back, 1
let alone"
'Did you ever do any bank work?"
Lots of it. That was my lay on the
start, and they used to say hadn't rival
in the business. There have never been
since my time over half a dozen men in
this country who had the nerve to touch
bank. You have got to be porn with it.
Outside of the nerve. you must be OF good
address and something of an actor; There
are tight plDches in which only
good acting will carry you through.
Ny first Job was perhaps the east.
est / ever had. That was nearly
thirty years ago, and before bank officials
were suspicious OF every body, and before
the detective business had become a pro-
fession and an art. My work was laid out
for me in Indianapolis, and we had plenty
OF funds and lots of time to develop it.
Right beside bank was a hat and cap
store, and We bought the stock for
into business. We advertised largely,
paid every bill promptly, and
when we opened an account at the bank
were cordially received a partner in New
York soon began sending us sight drafts
which were all o. K, and took them into
the bank and had no trouble, after the first
one or two, in getting the cash. A notice
somehow got into the papers that we were
soon to build big store and add various
lines of goods, ana we presently found our
selves looked upon as A 1 among business
men.
mo doubt we could have sprung the
trap sooner than we did, but my policy al
ways was TO 60 slow aud sure. AS fast as
we got the cash on draft We sent it back
to come again, and they crept up in value
from $3.50 to 1900. This had consumed
weeks, but just previous to the arrival of
this draft notice appeared in the papers
that We had bought site and an architect
was preparing plans for $50, 600 building.
a week later we were quite ready. One
day at IL o'clock I put on my hat and
walked into the bank with a forged draft
for So $50 20. The cashier didn't hesitate
ten seconds over it. Had l been a stranger
he probably would not hav- paid it, but
stood there and Whistled and drummed on
tie counter while be counted out the
money. was going away when he called
me eack. My heart gave one great throb
and then seemed to stand still, for 1
fully believed that he had de-
tecied something wrong. In the
two or three seconds given me, l
determined to ask him to retain the money
on deposit until he heard from the draft
but, as / turned about, he smiled and in
auired If our firm could not take on
friend of his when we got into new quar-
tiers. l replied in the affirmative, and
walked out with the money in my hand.
Half an hour later my partner and | were
leaving the city on a train, having
left the hat store in charge of
boy, and neither of US has ever ventured
back. The forgery came to light only
when 1t was known that we had skipped,
but l think the bank kept still about it.
1t was new institution, and felt afraid of
having it known it had been beaten.
There were three of us in the Job, and we
made over So COO each in nine weeks time.
Some have got rich faster, but was never
avaracious.
Another very fair lob was drawn off
Dayton, Ohio, couple OF years later, but
it was one in which did not take such
deep satisfaction. When you beat sharp
man, there it something to rejoice over.
You have put your wits against his and
come out ahead. In this case the cashier
was a squirt OF a fellow, about twenty.three
years of sge. The cashiers den was not
rallied off and csged up in those days as
now, ana they were not so careful of their
piles of money. This chap seemed proud
to pile up the bills and coin around him,
and the moment l got look at things l
knew that he was our game. The only
man to be afraid of was the bookkeeper.
He was bald-headed cid fellow of forty
five, had his place next to the cashier, and
what he didn't see and hear was not worth
attention. The manager and collector
were in the bank much of the time, but at
o'clock always went out somewhere, and
were gone full half hour. This left only
the cashier and bookkeeper to deal with.
There were two of us in the job, and
after we had piped OF the bank until we
knew il, 1 entered one morning and asked
to see the manager. l was the agent OF
new Chicago clock company for the manu-
facture of banks, office and railroad clocks,
and as an advertisement for our concern
would put up time-piece on the wall and
let it remain year free gratis. The clock
then on hand Was cheap aUar, ana the
manager jumped at my offer. I selected
the place for it, AMI told him it should be
hung up during the afternoon.
We had piped the old bald-head off sew
eral days before, and knew Just how we
were going to manage him. He lived at
least mile away, and just after 2 o'clock,
when the two men were left alone in the
bank, boy came in with a note telling
him that his wife had received serious
fall. He clapped on his hat and started
for home, Just as we had planned, and
entered the place in company with my
partner. He had clock on his
arm which had cost us $50. The
opinion of the smart cashier was asked on
various Details and he came out in front
of the counter and gave orders about
where the clock should be put up.
While he was dancing around some evil
minded person put $1,000 in gold and
bills into an old sachel and then stood
around until the clock was up. The
reason he didn't clean out the bank was be-
cause two or three outsiders dropped in to
see the clock. When we went out it was 10
get into hired buggy and drive away, and
q few hours later we were bucking the tiger
In Cincinnati. I always felt a little mean
over that Job. You see, the cashier was a
Young SQUIRT who couldn't hold his own
with a common thief, and it was no credit
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